Health care the price we pay for civilized society

Published: Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

By FRED KEITH

LYNN HAVEN “Providing health care to everyone is not feasible without ruining the system for those who can afford it.” I pray to God that Mr. Ward (“Why Florida physicians support Southerland,” letter, Nov. 8) realizes the inner moral decay revealed in his statement. If not, Pogo was right” “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The most distressing issue in Mr. Ward’s statement is its ubiquitous nature throughout history as an artificial conundrum of supply and demand created by the privileged. Certainly the king cannot allow peasants to harvest animals on “his” land, for then his abundance would be threatened. Certainly the working men/women/children of the industrial revolution cannot be paid a living wage because that would threaten the continuance of industrial progress. Certainly slaves cannot be given freedom to benefit from their labor, for who then would pick our cotton? Or Alexander Hamilton’s famous refusal to allow other than “aristocrats” to invest in his creation of the United States’ first national bank, for that would waste wealth on commoners.

Certainly, we cannot provide health care to everyone because that would ruin the system for those who can afford the present structure. Justification of these inequities by the old adage “the rising tide floats all boats” is deception by the privileged. It is true only for those who have a boat. For those standing on the bottom, the rising tide is not a friend.

Of course, Mr. Ward raises the Medusa head of snakes in the woodpile: There will be rationing of care, denial of choice, increases in costs and decreases in the number of doctors. These plagues have existed in our present system of health care delivery since the days of doctor home visits and chicken payments for medical services. Yet the medical profession has not addressed these issues, in my 77-year lifetime, with a solution that brought significant change.

Mr. Ward touts Steve Southerland as a business man, implying thereby some superior position from which to “be in Washington improving health care for years to come.” While I concede that Mr. Southerland likely never had a customer return to his business to complain, are we really a nation that wants a health care delivery system that is modeled on a pure business concept? If we do, then we need focus only on a profit/loss bottom line. Medical services will be provided to those who can pay, and thereby raise the profit margin for medical practitioners. Those who cannot pay, and who are a burden on the system, receive no services. It can be that simple. Marie Antoinette would be proud.

I consider myself among the privileged; not as privileged as some, but still privileged. I have a comfortable retirement, savings to fall back on, good health, and medical insurance for which my wife and I pay almost $8,000 per year. I take two generic prescription drugs and usually do not meet my medical deductible until October or later each year. I am rarely ill and have undergone only two surgeries in my life. Much of the money paid in the 55 years I have carried medical insurance has gone to benefit those less fortunate in their health than me. For my good health I am thankful, and in no way do I begrudge the care of those whose needs are greater. That is simply part of the price of living in a civilized society.

LYNN HAVEN
“Providing health care to everyone is not feasible without ruining the system for those who can afford it.” I pray to God that Mr. Ward (“Why Florida physicians support Southerland,” letter, Nov. 8) realizes the inner moral decay revealed in his statement. If not, Pogo was right” “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The most distressing issue in Mr. Ward’s statement is its ubiquitous nature throughout history as an artificial conundrum of supply and demand created by the privileged. Certainly the king cannot allow peasants to harvest animals on “his” land, for then his abundance would be threatened. Certainly the working men/women/children of the industrial revolution cannot be paid a living wage because that would threaten the continuance of industrial progress. Certainly slaves cannot be given freedom to benefit from their labor, for who then would pick our cotton? Or Alexander Hamilton’s famous refusal to allow other than “aristocrats” to invest in his creation of the United States’ first national bank, for that would waste wealth on commoners.

Certainly, we cannot provide health care to everyone because that would ruin the system for those who can afford the present structure. Justification of these inequities by the old adage “the rising tide floats all boats” is deception by the privileged. It is true only for those who have a boat. For those standing on the bottom, the rising tide is not a friend.

Of course, Mr. Ward raises the Medusa head of snakes in the woodpile: There will be rationing of care, denial of choice, increases in costs and decreases in the number of doctors. These plagues have existed in our present system of health care delivery since the days of doctor home visits and chicken payments for medical services. Yet the medical profession has not addressed these issues, in my 77-year lifetime, with a solution that brought significant change.

Mr. Ward touts Steve Southerland as a business man, implying thereby some superior position from which to “be in Washington improving health care for years to come.” While I concede that Mr. Southerland likely never had a customer return to his business to complain, are we really a nation that wants a health care delivery system that is modeled on a pure business concept? If we do, then we need focus only on a profit/loss bottom line. Medical services will be provided to those who can pay, and thereby raise the profit margin for medical practitioners. Those who cannot pay, and who are a burden on the system, receive no services. It can be that simple. Marie Antoinette would be proud.

I consider myself among the privileged; not as privileged as some, but still privileged. I have a comfortable retirement, savings to fall back on, good health, and medical insurance for which my wife and I pay almost $8,000 per year. I take two generic prescription drugs and usually do not meet my medical deductible until October or later each year. I am rarely ill and have undergone only two surgeries in my life. Much of the money paid in the 55 years I have carried medical insurance has gone to benefit those less fortunate in their health than me. For my good health I am thankful, and in no way do I begrudge the care of those whose needs are greater. That is simply part of the price of living in a civilized society.

John Locke, the 17th century philosopher whose thoughts greatly influenced the egalitarian ideals of Thomas Jefferson, wrote much about life in society. He pointed out that if one chooses to live in society and accrue its benefits, certain individual rights must be relinquished. You give up some of “me” to make “we” a more civilized place for all.